High-yield BHT procedure into crown area

[49thStater]

Hey folks,

Anyone here have any experiences with large grafting sessions of BHT into the crown area? 

The backstory: I had a 3,000 graft FUT about two years ago. The result gave me some improved density but was overall pretty mediocre. It wasn't the fault of the surgeon. I just had poor graft density in my donor region - I had almost all 1s and 2s, only 400 grafts were 3s and 4s. I was depressed about it for several months but eventually learned to accept it and move on with life. There's a certain amount of risk in these procedures that even the best surgeons can't mitigate. I just ended up being a poor candidate for a crown procedure.

The surgeon who performed it is a great dude and one of the most well-reputed on this forum. He's offered to perform a BHT on me at a highly discounted rate. He's recommended 1,500 grafts from my beard into my crown.

I've researched the forum. I haven't found much fidelity on high-yield BHT procedures (into a scar or onto the crown). I read EJ's thread - his offered the most insight. However, that thread had very little discussion about beard grafts into crown.

The surgeon has looked at my beard hair and told me I am a great candidate for this procedure. He's pretty confident I'll get a good result from this. I believe him. I just wanted to get you guys' opinions. Does anyone have any experiences with BHT into crown? Any thoughts about harvesting such a large amount of grafts from the beard in one session? Does beard hair generally grow at the same pace as harvested scalp hair?

Thanks!

[Al - Moderator]

Beard grafts work fine if done by the right Dr. You need to ask the Dr if does he does BHT on a regular basis. Since I don't know who you are going to, the "highly discounted rate" indicates to me that he may be just starting out in BHT grafts and wants to try it out on you. Make sure you go with someone who has been doing them for a while.

 

Edited December 28, 2018 by BeHappy

[gillenator]

I agree...IMHO and from what I have observed on the economic side of the procedure, anyone who has a proven history of doing BHT (beard to scalp) procedures would not be offering a discounted price.

Yet we don't know who the doctor is and it is also possible that he or she is empathetic with this individual considering his case attributes.

I have always wondered why we don't see more guys post their beard to scalp procedures...could it be that they did not experience a favorable result?

[49thStater]

That's a fair point both you guys make about it potentially being concerning that the surgeon has offered a "highly discounted rate." However, I'm not really concerned about his competency. I know he  performs the procedure on a fairly regular basis. He offered the discount because I was underwhelmed by the results from the FUT, and I get the impression that he has liked me as a patient.

I was more just looking for others' experiences and opinions about the beard to crown procedure (especially high-graft operations). The doctor has shown me some BHT results he's performed. They all look good. I was wondering if there were any testimonials or any posters here who have had high-yield BHTs who could share their experiences.

[Al - Moderator]

I've had roughly 3550 beard and chest grafts done up to this point with just under half of them taken from the beard and slightly more than half taken from the chest. Mine has been done as several smaller procedures rather than a single large one. The last one was just done a few weeks ago. Once that grows in I may post pictures, but that probably won't be until sometime over the Summer.

 

[Sean]

In regards to beard and body hairs, It may not yield well at all irrespective of the claims made and mf shown by some surgeons.  It may also cause more shockloss to the crown negatively making you look more bald.  Also, if you are willing to never take finasteride again, it may be an option as beard and body hairs are adversely affected by Finasteride.  

Be weary, right now beard and body hairs may be a better resource to fill in strip scars vs implanting into a larger region.  Also, surgeons place these resources at a higher premium price.  Since they are mostly single hair grafts, it would probably take supposade quoted 10,000 grafts to cover an entire crown and basically your paying for that many grafts when probably 3,000 may or may not yield even in supposade expert hands.  So much gdmf things you need to watch out for and be weary of.  Last thing a person that goes through these surgeries wants is another person that needs repairs and headaches after this.  Be careful and consider your options carefully as some surgeons may try confuse you to make the sale.  

best of luck with everything 

 

[49thStater]

It's been about four months, and while I think I have some improved density, I am officially concerned. It seems like a lot of the hairs are growing at awkward trajectories - like they are growing out and up and away from my scalp rather than along the flow of my natural hair. In some spots, I think it's really bad.

I'm concerned this guy had no idea what he was doing and he didn't implant the beard  hairs to grow naturally. I'm still trying to reserve judgment though.

Anyone have any thoughts or experiences with this sort of a procedure?

[gillenator]

If it's been 4 months post-op, the new regrowth is just starting to emerge....give it several more months and once the hair shafts have gained some length, you will be able to better evaluate the angulation and direction of the hair shafts.

[49thStater]

6 hours ago, gillenator said:

If it's been 4 months post-op, the new regrowth is just starting to emerge....give it several more months and once the hair shafts have gained some length, you will be able to better evaluate the angulation and direction of the hair shafts.

Thanks. That's good advice. I am considering editing my last post. There are only 5-10 hairs that are shooting straight out and around 20-30 that just sort of have a "fluffly" appearance if my hair is drying from being wet or if I'm sweaty. That's not bad out of 1600 grafts.

gillenator, is the fourth month the high growth period for beard hair transplants the same way it is for regular HTs? Will the hairs' angulation fall over as time goes on?

Thanks!

[Melvin- Admin]

Do you mind posting any pictures of your result?

[gillenator]

On ‎6‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 11:05 PM, 49thStater said:

Thanks. That's good advice. I am considering editing my last post. There are only 5-10 hairs that are shooting straight out and around 20-30 that just sort of have a "fluffly" appearance if my hair is drying from being wet or if I'm sweaty. That's not bad out of 1600 grafts.

gillenator, is the fourth month the high growth period for beard hair transplants the same way it is for regular HTs? Will the hairs' angulation fall over as time goes on?

Thanks!

Not necessariy...BH can have much different growth cycles and I think beard hair probably has more predictable growth cycles than other areas of the body...the fourth month is when the regrowth is just beginning...not a high growth period.

Still, it's always a good sign when the regrowth is visible but again how long will each growth phase last with BH?

[49thStater]

I'll consider posting some pictures. My opinion of the procedure is changing. I'm becoming impressed with the results. Coverage is really improving, even if some of the hairs are "sprouty" and frizzy.

Will those hairs lay down over time and become better blended?

[gillenator]

It's not unusual for the new sprouts to look that way...as they mature in both length and caliber, they may take on better characteristics....time will tell.

Glad to hear of the improvement!